Gov. Blagojevich signaled he may be ready to address the transit funding crisis facing the Chicago area by meeting Wednesday with the CTA’s top two officials.
The positive development prompted the CTA board to postpone a vote on a contingency plan of service cuts and fare increases, to be implemented in mid-September if no new state transit funding is provided. The board did approve the elimination of 27 administrative positions, part of $18.1 million in previously announced cost savings.
The governor’s invitation to meet came after Blagojevich made it clear his spending priorities are expanding health care and improving education. The governor provided no new transit funding in his proposed state budget, and he threatened to veto a regional sales-tax increase to help fund the CTA, Metra and Pace, which face a combined $226 million operating deficit for 2007.
The meeting in Springfield included CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown, CTA President Ron Huberman and the legislative leadership, including House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones.
Brown and Huberman made a presentation detailing the transit agency’s approximately $100 million operating shortfall and offered some partial self-help solutions such as reforming the CTA’s employee pension fund and paring administrative costs.
Deputy Gov. Sheila Nix said after the meeting that Blagojevich wants to give $100 million to the CTA to help stave off service cuts and proposed closing “corporate loopholes” to raise the money.
Nix said the governor is open to other possibilities. While no immediate breakthrough was expected, CTA officials were encouraged.
“They [Brown and Huberman] thought it was a good meeting. The fact there was a meeting was a good thing,” said Carl Lingenfelter, Brown’s chief of staff.
Without about $100 million in new funding, Huberman has said the CTA will be forced to eliminate service on 63 bus routes, suspend the Purple and Yellow Lines and raise fares to as high as $3.25 per ride.
